Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt
A selection of 10th to 16th century embroideries from the Newberry collection at the Ashmolean by Marianne Ellis (published Oxford, 2001).
Publications online: 66 objects
Show search help
- Reference URL
Actions
Textile fragment with linked diamond-shapes, hexagons, and pseudo-inscription
-
Literature notes
The way the pattern has been interpreted on this fragment, compared with the pattern darned band (No.33 [EA1984.463]), shows how the special qualities of certain embroidery stitches were exploited in ways that added considerably to the visual effect. The worker has added a two-dimensional effect to the embroidery by outlining the pattern in double running in dark blue silk, and by alternating the slant and colours of the counted filling stitches. Radiocarbon dating shows that this fragment was made between the late 13th and mid 14th century when both counted and freestyle embroideries were being produced and different stitches were introduced into the repertoire. -
Details
- Associated place
-
Near East (place of creation)
- Material and technique
- linen, embroidered with brown and pale-green silk, and blue flax or cotton; with stitching in flax
- Dimensions
-
23 x 20 cm max. (length x width)
along length/width 32 / 30 threads/cm (thread count)
ground fabric 0.05 cm (thread diameter)
additional fibre, embroidery 0.1 cm (thread diameter)
- Material index
-
organic › animal › animal product › silk,
- Technique index
-
assembled › woven › plain woven,woven › plain woven,
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Presented by Professor Percy Newberry, 1941.
- Accession no.
- EA1984.272
-
Further reading
Ellis, Marianne, Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, in association with Greenville: Curious Works Press, 2001), no. 34 on p. 52, p. 51, illus. p. 52
Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, cat. vol. ii, illus. vol. i
Location
-
- currently in research collection
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Galleries
Publications online
-
Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt
The way the pattern has been interpreted on this fragment, compared with the pattern darned band (No.33 [EA1984.463]), shows how the special qualities of certain embroidery stitches were exploited in ways that added considerably to the visual effect. The worker has added a two-dimensional effect to the embroidery by outlining the pattern in double running in dark blue silk, and by alternating the slant and colours of the counted filling stitches. Radiocarbon dating shows that this fragment was made between the late 13th and mid 14th century when both counted and freestyle embroideries were being produced and different stitches were introduced into the repertoire. -
The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries
Linked Y-shapes create square diamonds and hexagons. This grid design creates rhombic spaces between. The diamonds are outlined in blue and contain a small band with a pseudo-inscription; the hexagons surrounding them are filled with brown and pale green embroidered in slanted counted filling stitches, worked on the diagonal.
The textile has been radiocarbon dated to 1315 +/- 45.
Notice
Object information may not accurately reflect the actual contents of the original publication, since our online objects contain current information held in our collections database. Click on 'buy this publication' to purchase printed versions of our online publications, where available, or contact the Jameel Study Centre to arrange access to books on our collections that are now out of print.
© 2013 University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum